Recipe courtesy of Alisa Huntsman

Loveless Banana Pudding

Getting reviews...
No dessert is more Southern than banana pudding, and this one is as easy as it comes. At the cafe, we make a big batch to scoop out home style with a spoon. Real pudding made from scratch in less than 15 minutes and purchased ladyfingers-a tad more sophisticated than the usual vanilla wafers-make an everyday dessert special enough for company.
  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 10 hr 35 min
  • Prep: 20 min
  • Inactive: 10 hr
  • Cook: 15 min
  • Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Share This Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

  1. To make the pudding, place the cornstarch in a heatproof bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup of the milk until evenly blended. Whisk in the egg yolks. Combine the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan; toss in the pod as well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; immediately reduce the heat to low. 
  2. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture to warm it. Then whisk the hot egg mixture into the remaining milk in a slow, steady stream. Continue to cook, whisking, until the pudding comes to a gentle boil. Boil for a minute, remove the vanilla pod, remove from the heat, and scrape into a bowl. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. 
  3. To assemble the dessert, spread a thin layer of chilled pudding in a trifle dish or other deep glass or ceramic bowl. Top with a layer of overlapping banana slices and then a layer of ladyfingers. Cover with half of the remaining pudding, another layer of bananas, reserving a few slices for garnish, and then the rest of the ladyfingers, reserving 2 or 3 for garnish. Top with the remaining pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to a day in advance before serving so the cookies soften completely. 
  4. Shortly before serving, whip the cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Top the banana pudding with dollops of whipped cream, a sprinkling of the reserved ladyfingers, crumbled, and a few slices of banana.

Fudge Factor

Review: Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert's Chocolate Bar Nov 16, 2012

Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert have teamed up with master chocolatier Christopher Curtin to create the "Good & Evil" chocolate b …

Train Frontman Pat Monahan's Dark Chocolate Obsession Feb 11, 2013

By: Cameron Curtis

Train frontman Pat Monahan, an avid chocolate lover, shared with us his top five reasons for eating dark chocolate.

The Craziest Chocolate Creations for American Chocolate Week Mar 17, 2013

It’s officially American Chocolate Week. Check out photos of mind-blowing chocolate creations.

Sifted: Plan-Ahead Valentine's Day Desserts Feb 6, 2013

By: Lauren Miyashiro

Get our take on the best in food news, recipes and more from around the web, including the best Valentine's Day recipes.

Over-the-Top-Delicious Treats to Satisfy Your Food Obsession

Are you infatuated with ice cream? Do you lust over lobster? Swoon at the sight of chocolate? Here's the best recipe for each food …

Chocolate Desserts

Indulge in our decadent chocolate desserts, from cookies and cakes to puddings, souffles and truffles.

Essentials: Chocolate Basics Sep 1, 2016

Satisfy that chocolate craving in your very own kitchen. All you need is baking chocolate and a little know-how. It also helps to …

How to Chop and Melt Chocolate

Lots of recipes call for melted chocolate. Follow these step-by-step instructions to do it properly.